Rasmussen said that when he considers an officer for this award he looks to someone whose accomplishments are not sudden or done quickly, but instead may take time and are recognized by others as significant.

"This year's recipient has multiple accomplishments which have taken a great deal of time," Rasmussen noted. "He first worked extremely hard to obtain a job with us at the WFPD, leaving a department he thought highly of. He worked hard and has been and is a great officer, respected by his peers and the community he serves."

Rasmussen went on to say that Pearson set goals for himself that were not easily obtained, not letting disappointment lead him astray. "His determination obtained him the goal he desired, that of working with youth as an SRO. He became so good at this that he was awarded the prestigious "National School Resource Officer Practitioner Status," indicating the highest level of commitment. Within this group there are only 133 active Practitioners nationwide, and only one other in North Dakota.

Pearson also became the first officer to be the liaison between the police department and the West Fargo Volunteer Fire Department, becoming a certified firefighter and holding that position for several years.

Pearson is a West Fargo native and 1990 graduate of West Fargo High School. He has been a police officer for almost 18 years, serving first with the Wahpeton Police Department. He joined the West Fargo Police Department in January of 2000 where he worked mainly as a patrol office and spent a couple of years with the Youth Academy, before becoming an SRO officer in January of 2008, serving both West Fargo High and Community High Schools.

Pearson and his wife, Teri, make their home in West Fargo, with their two children, Tammie and Tate, who are students in the West Fargo School District.